Remembering Emily
by cyanidepsyche
Summary: Emily ,a lonely and struggling waitress, meets a beautiful and quirky Marine who is still suffering from healing physical injuries caused from the war and unseen wounds. For Paige she starts each day anew with no memories of the previous day ,but her life changes when she meets Emily. Every day ,Paige must fall in love with Emily again. Paily AU.
1. Chapter 1

"Good morning Philadelphia. It's another beautiful July morning here. The suns shining and the humidity is low. Here's Janet now with today's weather and traffic report".

Deep brown eyes slowly opened and squinted at the flashing green numbers on the alarm clock. 7:30 A.M.. The eyes slid closed for a few brief seconds while the radio on the clock droned on about the heavy traffic in downtown Philly. Wait Philly?! Paige abruptly sat up in bed, now fully awake and glancing quickly around the room she was in. She didn't recognize anything in the room. It was painted white with a dark blue trim running along the edges of the walls. A poster of Michael Phelps hung on the door next to a swim cap and goggles. A pair of combat boots and sneakers were thrown haphazardly near the closet that was tied closed with what looks like an old t-shirt. She stared down at the still talking alarm clock intently, as if willing it to tell her where she was. Her eyes drifted to a bright orange sticky note attached to the tope of the clock. She pressed the snooze button and muted the overly cheery voices of the news anchors and scanned over the not that read 'YOU ARE IN PHILADELPHIA PENNSYLVANIA'.

Paige scratched the back of her neck and felt her fingers glide across the cool metal of a chain that hung around her neck. Perplexed as to what it could be ,Paige reached under her shirt and pulled out a pair of dog tags that hung from the chain. She flipped them over and scanned the words that had been imprinted on the smooth metal.

Name- Paige S. McCullers

United States Marine Corps

Blood Type- O Negative

Service Number- 2600528

Suddenly flashes of gunfire and the bright flames caused by explosions danced behind her eyes. The screams and curses of men rang out in her ears and the acrid smell of smoke mixed with blood rose up to such a powerful, overwhelming sensation that Paige could almost taste it on her tongue. Her back and legs burned in long gone phantom pains and her whole body shuddered as she forcefully shook her head and returned to reality.

"So Janet have anything special planned for your upcoming weekend?"

Paige jumped a bit and turned towards the alarm clock that had suddenly turned back on and resumed talking. Paige sighed and turned off the alarm clock instead of hitting the snooze button again. Her gaze landed on a thick manila folder propped upright against a faded blue lamp with sharks on it. Written in large black letters, undoubtedly by a sharpie marker, were the words 'READ ME EVERY DAY'. Paige threw her feet over the edge of the bed and picked up the folder. Inside on the first page was a letter from her big sister Elliott. She scanned through the note as she got up and walked out of her room.

'Holy crap,' thought Paige as she took in the sight of the small combined living room and kitchen that was covered in multicolored sticky notes ranging from lime green to muted yellow and every conceivable color in between. She meandered over to the fridge and saw four sticky notes labeled 1, 2, 3, and 4 respectively and they read in this order:

1. GO FOR A JOG

2. SMILE AT STRANGERS

3. EAT BREAKFAST THEN GO TO WORK AT JAMIE RIVERS REPAIR SHOP BY 11:15

4. DON'T FORGET RECORDER

"Well at least I have a schedule to go by now," Paige mused as she went to go get changed into her jogging gear.

Running was something Paige always enjoyed. Sometimes she even enjoyed it more than swimming. Random people she ran past shouted good morning to her and Paige politely dipped her head and smiled back at those complete strangers who seemed to recognize her.

"Looking good McCullers," yelled a middle aged man ,with thinning blond hair ,in an orange t-shirt as they ran past each other. Paige faltered slightly in her stride and turned around to stare at the fading orange t-shirt.

'Who was that guy and why the hell does he know my name?' thought Paige still confused about how an absolute stranger knew her. She shook off the shock and breathed deep to calm her nerves and smiled broadly to the strangers who ran past her. The letter her sister had written to her explained her condition and the situation she was in clearly and told her to follow each and every sticky note in order to go about her day with some semblance of normalcy. So Paige did just that.

"A few minutes late today," called out an elderly African American gentleman who sat strumming his ancient guitar on a vacant park bench. Paige stumbled again and looked back at the old man who just tipped his worn straw hat to her and smiled back knowingly. Paige just shook her head and continued her run, eager to get home and out of the prying eyes of these strangers who seemed to know her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer- I do not own any of these characters except for the ones I make up. This Disclaimer also goes for chapter 1 because I didn't know how to do authors notes or page breaks. **

**Thank you for the reviews and favs. **

Let it be known that Emily Fields is a hard worker. She is a hard worker who always shows up to work on time. She always tries to be punctual ,but when your car has two flat tires from God knows what ,and you have to run almost three blocks to the nearest bus stop, being on time just isn't an option. Emily sighed as she walked into the small café/coffee shop that she currently worked at ,and tugged fruitlessly at her wavy damp hair that was slowly trying to make its great escape from her ponytail.

"Emily your forty-five minutes late," shouted Zach from behind the counter. Zach was her boss and the owner of the Rear Window Brew and Café at which she worked. He was laid back and easy going except when it came to his workers being on time.

"I know and I'm sorry. My car had two flat tires this morning and I missed the first bus over here. It won't happen again Zach ,I promise," explained Emily as she grabbed her black apron and pulled it on. A light touch to her elbow caused her to flinch and look over to see Zach's face alight with worry and sympathy for her predicament.

"Emily it's okay. It's just one day late, I'm not going to fire you over it. If there's anything you need just tell me," Zach murmured before walking away into the kitchen. Emily shook her head and set her mouth in a hard line. Ever since the whole debacle with Maya, everyone she knew was treating her like she was some fragile glass doll that might tip over at any second and shatter into a million pieces. While she was still hurt over the whole Maya predicament ,said incident had happened over two months ago. She was fine. She was over Maya.

"Forget about Maya. She isn't worth your time," mumbled Emily to herself as she picked up a rag and a bottle of cleanser to wipe down the tables with.

"Talking to yourself again Em."

Emily jumped and turned to see one of her best friends ,Aria Montgomery ,standing behind her trying to fish a stray pen out of her apron pocket.

"What I wasn't, I was just, what," stammered Emily internally rolling her eyes at her lame answer. Aria tilted her head to the side and peered up at Emily.

"You seem a bit jumpy today Em. Is everything okay? You were late to work this morning and you're never late to work."

"Car problems. I woke up and discovered that my car has two flat tires and I missed the bus so I had to wait for another one to come back. On top of all of that I got another tuition bill today that I have to pay ,along with my rent ,and these two flat tires. I just can't afford all of this Aria. I have no money left to pay for my car to be fixed up."

"I'm sure Spencer will let the rent slide."

"No Aria, I can't do that to her again. It's not fair for her to have to cover for the both of us." Emily sighed and tugged roughly at her ponytail again.

"Maya called again didn't she." Aria said it like it was a fact carved out in stone for all the world to see.

"How could you tell?" asked Emily absentmindedly as she began to wipe down the wooden tables hastily.

"Whenever your distraught you pull at your hair and whenever Maya calls your always jumpy and moody the very next day," reasoned Aria as she refilled the napkin dispensers.

"I am not moody. And Maya did not call me," lied Emily. Aria shot her a look that said 'I don't believe this line of bullcrap you're feeding me'.

"Emily."

"Aria."

"You have to get over that girl Emily. She's not right for you. She stopped doing right by you a long time ago."

"I know and for the most part I'm over her."

"I sense a but coming on. Probably having to do with why you don't date." Emily chuckled lightly at her friends dry humor before answering.

"I just don't feel like it Aria. I don't want to just jump back into dating again. I want to wait and meet someone I'll have a connection with."

Before Aria could answer their conversation was cut short by the sound of the bell over top the door ringing to alert them to a new customer. Emily turned and her breath hitched in her throat as she took in the appearance of the stranger who had just arrived. She was tall. Probably a few inches taller then herself ,and her hair was an attractive shade of auburn and tied back in a sloppy bun. Strands were escaping and loosely falling around her face. Her skin was pale and smooth. Her shoulders were broad and her entire body was toned and muscular ,but there was an air of femininity to her body as well. She was dressed in a comfortable pair of old jeans that accented her long legs nicely and a deep grey v-neck t-shirt. An old khaki shoulder bag was slung across her back. The girl sat down at one of the booths and picked up a menu.

"Breath Emily," teased Aria before she walked back to the counter. Emily shot her a look before taking a deep breath and walking over.

"See anything you like," asked Emily as she stood beside the stranger. She turned slightly and stared up at Emily with the deepest brown eyes Emily had ever seen.

"Not sure. Do you count," asked the stranger playfully. Emily felt her stomach flutter at the compliment and she blushed slightly. Wait what?! What was wrong with her? Blushing at a complete stranger's flirty compliment. That just wasn't her. Emily internally smacked herself.

"Unfortunately no," Emily replied back ,smiling just a bit too wide.

"Hmm oh well. What do you suggest?" the girl inquired.

"The bagels and french toast are pretty good," answered Emily shivering slightly at the slight husk in the other girls voice.

"I guess I'll take a plate of french toast and a cup of coffee, black," said the stranger placing the menu back down and tilting her head to the side a little as she stared up at Emily who was jotting down her order.

"All right I'll be right back with that. By the way my name's Emily." With that said Emily walked away from the hot stranger and over to the kitchen window to give Zach the order. As she waited for the food Aria sidled up alongside her and winked before fluttering her eyelashes at the strangers back. Emily just rolled her eyes and grabbed the plate of food and a mug of steaming hot coffee. She walked over to the patiently waiting customer and placed the food down in front of her ,and noticed that her face was buried in a book. The pages and cover were well worn and it appeared to be a crime novel.

"Enjoying the book?" asked Emily.

"Yeah. So far it's pretty good," replied the stranger. Emily noticed a scrap of paper stuck between two pages halfway though the book ,acting as a bookmark. This stranger was reading at the beginning.

"Aren't you going to start at the place you left bookmarked ,or did you forget the whole first half of the book," teased Emily playfully. At once the stranger tensed up ,and Emily wondered if she had said something to offend her. However after a few awkward seconds of silence she relaxed before offering Emily an easy smile.

"I guess I did. I don't have the best memory. My sister calls me an elephant because I have the memory capacity of one," said the stranger before taking a sip of her coffee.

"Well if there's anything else you need just tell meeee..." Emily drew out the e's in hopes that the beautiful stranger would reveal her name.

"Paige," she said offering Emily a small smile.

"Paige." Emily let the name roll off her tongue. It suited her. She gave Paige one last fleeting smile before walking off to go see to some of the other customers. However no matter where she was in the café ,her eyes found themselves on Paige. She was just finishing her second cup of coffee and setting down money for a tip before she walked up to the front counter and paid for her meal. Her deep brown eyes caught Emily's before she walked out ,and she offered Emily a small smile and a wave goodbye. Emily sighed before walking over to Paige's booth to collect her tip and clean the table. Her eyes landed on a crisp ten dollar bill folded neatly and stuck under the edge of the plate.

"She tipped you a ten. Huh she must have liked you," remarked Aria as she passed by. Emily blinked twice in surprise then shoved the tip in her front pocket with all her other tips. Her mind wandered back to Paige ,and she wondered if she would ever meet her again.


	3. Chapter 3

The walk from The Brew to Jaime's repair shop was about 15 minutes tops. It would have been a 5 minute bike ride for Paige ,but her back tire was completely blown out. She'd have to make a note to fix it. Paige reached inside of her jeans pocket and pulled out a black ball point pen. From a distance it appeared to be a normal looking pen, shiny and slim, but if one was to take a closer look at it they would have noticed that near the top of the writing instrument was a small microphone. There was also a small switch on the side to turn on and off the recording device.

"Note to self, remember to get back tire fixed on bike. Its becoming a pain having to walk from place to place. On a side note remember to visit the Rear Window Brew and Café again. Their french toast is quite good, and the very attractive waitresses name is Emily. Do not forget about Emily," Paige documented. When she was done she merely turned the device off and returned it to its home in her left jeans pocket.

As she turned the next corner, Jaime's repair shop loomed in the near distance. It was an average size building constructed of old red brick. The wooden sign above the door read 'Rivers Repair Shop'. The pale yellow paint of the sign was pealing away to show the dirty white coat beneath. A laminated poster hung on the door and announced that anything can be sold, bought or traded for a fair price. Jaime was always a tinkerer ,but he was also a packrat. Before her injuries and losing her day to day memories, Paige could fondly remember spending time in this shop when she was on leave and just fixing things. It always felt nice to fix something with her own two hands instead of destroying things with her M16. Paige pushed open the door and strode into the shop, immediately feeling at ease as she inhaled deeply through her nose. Paige may forget everything else, but for some reason she never forgot a certain, distinct smell. The doctors and specialists she went to reasoned that sensory memory could still be obtained because the senses are deeply rooted in many different parts of the brain. The air in the shop was always a bit heavy and warm, but the smell of metal grinding against metal and grease was always present.

"11:13. Two minutes early today. Just like always," a voice said behind Paige. Paige turned to see Jaime Rivers leaning against a display case, polishing a watch.

"I always like to be punctual," replied Paige. While Paige could clearly remember Jaime from before her war injury, any memory of him from the past nine months vanished when she woke up each morning. Every memory from the previous day vanished when she woke up.

"Still one day your going to be late."

"If that happens then I won't remember it the next day." Jaime frowned slightly at her half sarcastic half serious reply. 'Well its true,' Paige thought.

Jaime shrugged. "Caleb is in the back sorting through some old stuff. He could use a hand." Paige nodded and vanished from Jaime's sight. She hadn't meant to make Jaime uncomfortable ,but her condition could make her irritable, especially when brought up. Paige easily navigated through the numerous shelves of tools and odd items and found Caleb sitting cross-legged on the floor amidst a pile of miscellaneous junk and cardboard boxes. Paige took in her friends tousled brown hair and sweat stained shirt.

"You look like crap," Paige stated bluntly causing Caleb to pause in what he was doing and look up at her.

"I see your still your same charming old self. Glad to see you didn't forget that," snarked Caleb as he began to stand up. He wavered a bit and Paige reached out to help steady him ,but he waved her off. She caught a glimpse of his prosthetic under his pant leg before it was pushed back down.

"You know the only reason you get away with smartass comments like that is because I have serious moral convictions about hitting a cripple." Paige idly scratched the back of her neck and rolled her shoulders, wincing a bit in pain.

"You don't hit me because you can't remember any of my smartass comments the next day," Caleb pointed out as he leaned heavily on his right leg. Paige rolled her eyes ,but shot Caleb a grin which he returned with one of his own. Caleb was also a Marine. They were in the same squad and served side by side for nearly five years together. They were Battle Bros ,and were both injured in the same attack that had claimed Caleb's leg and damaged Paige's brain, affecting her memory.

"So how long have you been back here," asked Paige motioning to the opened boxes on the dusty floor.

"Bout two hours." Caleb shrugged like it was no big deal ,and Paige whistled lowly. "Where were you by the way? You usually come in earlier."

Paige shrugged like it was no big deal. "Ran out of milk, so I went out to breakfast this morning. It was nice, different," explained Paige as she let her mind wander back to the gorgeous waitress who smelled like lavender and chlorine with a hint of vanilla. Paige let a dreamy smile overtake her face as she thought of the waitresses smooth tan skin and silky raven locks. That girl was beyond beautiful. She was breathtaking.

'No wait Emily. Yes that's her name. Emily is breathtaking,' mused Paige. That's why Paige had almost been late for work today. The Marine had spent the better part of her breakfast trying to subtlety observe Emily without getting caught.

"Judging by the dopey smile on your face I'd say you met someone." Paige blinked twice and shook herself out of her obsessive thoughts about Emily. Instead of answering Caleb's jibe ,she just made a face at him ,and knelt down to look at some of the boxes scattered around the floor.

"I'm right aren't I? So what's the lucky girls name?" Caleb pressed as he took a seat across from her.

"Emily," grunted Paige as she forcefully ripped the packing tape off one of the boxes.

"Emily," Caleb repeated as he stared thoughtfully up at the ceiling. 'Damn I know that look," thought Paige as she prepared herself for the inevitable interrogation.

"So this Emily girl, what's she look like?" Paige glanced over at Caleb and confirmed her suspicion that he was wearing the biggest shit-eating grin known to man right now.

"Like a girl." Caleb's grin dropped for a second.

"Well duh of course she looks like a girl. Is she pretty?" asked Caleb.

"Try gorgeous," came the short reply.

"Gorgeous huh. Care to elaborate?"

"No Caleb I don't. By tomorrow morning I won't even remember her. So I'd rather not have you reminding me everyday of the beautiful girl I can't even remember." Silence engulfed the two battered soldiers as they both disappeared into their own respective thoughts. Paige stared blankly down into the open box on her lap and saw nothing but Emily's face. How badly Paige wanted to remember her name, her face. She didn't want her to disappear into the dark ,damaged voids in her brain like everyone else seemed to do. Emily's playful comment about her forgetfulness hit so close to home for her that Paige almost choked on her own spit. Of course Emily had no idea about her injury, therefore she couldn't have possibly known that, that comment had caught Paige completely off guard. Paige sighed and rifled through the junk she had discovered.

"Why does you dad have this incessant need to keep every piece of crap he finds?" Paige huffed.

"I don't know. Hanna used to say it was because everything in here had a memory attached to it that he didn't want to get rid off," Caleb explained.

"How is Hanna by the way? You two doing alright?"

"Paige, Hanna and I broke up nine months ago," Caleb deadpanned.

"What! You and Hanna broke up?! But why, you two were so good together." Paige was shocked. Hanna and Caleb had been going steady for years. The two were perfect for each other.

"I tell you this every day Paige." Caleb sighed and raked his fingers through his hair in frustration. "And frankly I don't feel like explaining it again just for you to forget it tomorrow." A brief flash of hurt crossed over Paige's features before she hardened her gaze and turned away from Caleb.

"Whatever," muttered Paige. They both worked in silence for the next couple of hours. Neither said anything and instead they both settled in deeply in their thoughts. For Caleb his mind reflected on his failed relationship with Hanna ,and where she was now. Paige's thoughts wandered back to a certain waitress that took her breath away. She should go back to The Brew for her lunch break. Not just to see Emily of course. Paige glanced down at her watch and saw that it was 2:40. Time for lunch.

"Lunch break," said Caleb awkwardly standing and stretching. Paige nodded in confirmation. They both stared at each other.

"Listen Paige about earlier," began Caleb hesitantly.

"Don't worry about it," murmured Paige quickly.

"No. What I said was completely out of line and wrong. I'm sorry," apologized Caleb sincerely.

"There's nothing to forgive," assured Paige sending Caleb a smirk. He returned it with a grateful smile.

"So for lunch ,want to come with me to The Brew?"

"Nah my leg's a bit stiff so I'm gonna rest it for a bit. Could you pick me up a burger though?"

"Yeah sure. Blue cheese melt."

"Blue cheese melt," confirmed Caleb reaching for his wallet. Paige waived him off though.

"I got this," Paige assured. "My treat."

"Paige I can't let you do that. At least let me pay for my half," offered Caleb. Paige shook her head no and walked out.

"Next lunch is on me," Caleb shouted after her.

"Whatever you say Rivers." the walk to The Brew seemed quicker this time. Maybe it had to do with the fact that Paige was practically speed walking. She pushed open the door and heard the chime of the bell over the door ring out ,announcing her arrival. Her eyes searched for Emily, but came up with nothing.

"Can I help you?" asked an unfamiliar voice. Paige looked down to see a tiny girl with big brown eyes staring up at her.

"Uh yeah ,I'm here to order lunch," answered Paige. Where was Emily? The other girl nodded and went to grab a menu.

"Are you eating here or ordering out?"

"I'm not sure. Is a waitress by the name of Emily here?" The other girls slim eyebrows quirked up at the mention of her friends name. This must have been the girl from breakfast.

"No Emily's shift ended an hour ago."

"Oh okay then I guess I'll just order out," said Paige giving her and Caleb's orders to the short waitress.

"Okay then I'll be right back with that." Paige watched her walk off and tried to quell the disappointment that had risen up inside of her when she found out Emily was gone. Why did she feel so sad over this person she hardly even knew.

'Maybe its because by tomorrow I'll forget she even exists. I'll never truly know her.' Paige tried to push her depressing thoughts down when she saw the other waitress return with a white paper bag fill with her food and the bill. Paige paid quickly and then left. When she returned back to the shop she found Caleb lounging on one of the chairs in the back with his prosthetic leg leaning up against the wall. Paige tossed him the bag and sat down beside him.

"That was quick," noted Caleb as her unwrapped his burger.

"She wasn't there," murmured Paige back. Caleb patted his friends shoulder before handing her ,her burger. They both ate in silence. When they finished Paige cleaned up and they both resumed their work. Paige worked well over her shift. When she was here working her mind focused on the task she was doing instead of Emily. Jaime found her this way at closing time ,and told her to go home. It was a twenty minute walk to her apartment ,and for once Paige was glad for the walk home. The crisp night air helped to clear her head.

She unlocked the door to her apartment and slid it closed once again when she was inside. She kicked off her work boots and meandered into the kitchen to grab a beer. Uncapping it swiftly Paige took a big gulp before walking over to her desk and turning on her laptop. While it booted up Paige pulled her recorder out of her pocket and slid off the bottom of it to reveal a small flash drive port which she plugged into her laptop. Her audio notes from the day began to transfer onto her computer into hard written copies as her voice rang out from the recording.

"**On a side note remember to visit the Rear Window Brew and Café again. Their french toast is quite good ,and the very attractive waitresses name is Emily. Do not forget about Emily**." The recording ended and Paige had finished her beer. Her mind returned to Emily. Don't forget about her. Paige got up and got ready for bed. As she lay there under the covers ,with hands clasped behind her head ,eyes trained on the ceiling overhead one thought ran on a continuous loop as she drifted off to sleep.

'Do not forget about Emily.'

**Disclaimer- I do not own Pretty Little Liars. **

**Hopefully the next update will be in 3 to 4 days. Not sure though ,but hopefully. Fingers crossed. **


	4. Chapter 4

Emily roughly slammed the door shut to her and Spencer's apartment and threw her bag jacket down. Her roommate looked up startled at the sound of the outburst and peered over the top of her laptop at an obviously stressed out Emily.

"Want to talk about it," asked Spencer. Her only answer was the sound of Emily's bedroom door shutting loudly. "Guess not." Spencer looked back down at her laptop and continued reading through the files about her case. Every now and then she would glance up at Emily's door. Ten minutes later Emily came and sat down beside Spencer. She looked visibly more relaxed, but Spencer had known Emily for a long time and could pick up that she was still agitated. Her brows were furrowed for one and there her shoulders were still tense. All signs that Emily was still stressed out.

"Sorry about earlier," murmured Emily. Her roommate closed her laptop and shifted so that she facing her. "

"Don't worry about it." Emily offered her a small smile and Spencer returned it with one of her own. "So are you going to tell me what's got you so stressed out?" Emily leaned forward and rested her chin in the palms of her hands.

"Life has me stressed out Spence."

"I know what you mean," Spencer agreed. "How was class?"

"The same as usual. The final exams are coming up soon. Then I just have to take the state medical exam to get my physical therapists license and then I can start paying back my student loans." Spencer nodded at her friend and squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. Emily had been working so hard to finish school. Between her full time job and classes, the girl barely had anytime to herself. The faint ring of Emily's phone drew them both out of their thoughts. Emily pulled her phone out of her pocket to check the caller ID and Spencer leaned over to see who was calling. The name Maya flashed onto the screen and Spencer scowled.

"She's still calling you. Can't she take a hint," growled Spencer. Emily shrugged and stood up, walking over to her room and shutting the door quietly before pressing the green receive button and lifting the phone to her ear.

"What do you want Maya?" asked Emily stiffly. She really wasn't in the mood to have another argument with ex-girlfriend.

"Emily its been months since we last spoke without having an argument. I just called to talk to you." Emily shook her head. Maya may be in the mood to talk ,but Emily wasn't.

"Maya I made it clear to you how I feel. I want my space. If you ever felt anything for me you would respect my wishes and stop calling me everyday."

"If I ever felt ANYTHING for you Emily? How could you say that?" Maya exclaimed.

"How could you cheat on me Maya? With a guy! I thought our relationship meant more than that. I thought you loved me," yelled Emily in exasperation. Bringing up Maya's infidelity was always a hard topic for Emily to talk about. It one thing to be dumped or just fall out of love with somebody, but to be cheated on by someone who you trusted and loved. Well that was the worst form of rejection in Emily's book.

"Emily I'm sorry. I've changed, I really have. Please just give me another chance. Give us another," Maya pleaded.

"I have given you chances Maya. Plenty of them. This isn't the first you pulled shit like this. You've left me for weeks on end with indication where you went or what you did. You don't return my phone calls or answer my texts. You've blatantly flirted with other people in front of me, and to top it all off you cheated on me. I was willing in the beginning to overlook all that other stuff you did, but I draw the line at cheating. This is goodbye Maya." Before Maya could speak Emily hung up. She stared at her phone for a while before tossing it on her floor near her shoes and laying back to stare up at her ceiling. Her mind drifted to the attractive customer named Paige she had met two days ago. She had been off work and been in class so she didn't have the chance to go back to the Café and see if Paige had returned. She would be working the morning shift tomorrow so maybe she would run into Paige.

"What is wrong with you Em? Your obsessively thinking about a complete stranger you know nothing about except that she likes her coffee black," muttered Emily to herself. Would Paige have already forgotten about her? Most likely, she was only the girl who served her breakfast. Emily rolled over and sighed. Deep down she hoped that Paige did remember her and thought of her just as much as Emily was thinking of her now.

WMWMWMWM

The next morning Emily caught the first bus to her work. Her car still needed to be fixed and Emily still didn't have the money to fix it. She couldn't use her next paycheck because that was going towards her rent and student loans. Emily was screwed if she couldn't come up with the money to fix her car. She pushed open the door to The Brew and walked up behind the counter and grabbed her black apron. Aria walked up beside and offered her a small smile. Emily nodded her head in return. The normal breakfast rush began to filter through the café and Emily had her hands full managing half the tables while Aria managed the other half. As 10:00 rolled around the crowd started to thin as people made their way out of the café. Just the normal late breakfast customers were there and most of them were either middle aged or senior citizens. The bell above the door gave a jingle to announce a new arrival. Emily looked towards the door and nearly dropped the tray she was carrying. There, at the front of The Brew, stood Paige. Her auburn hair was falling in loose waves around her face and she was dressed in grey cargo pants and a black singlet showing off her toned muscular arms. Paige scuffed at the floor with dusty brown boots and glanced around until her eyes met Emily's. Emily smiled brightly in her direct on and Paige ducked her head in return. A gentle nudge to Emily's side broke her from her staring.

"You going to go over there or just stand here all day drooling." Aria slipped the tray Emily was holding out of her hands leaving Emily empty handed. She nervously ran a hand through her hair and approached the other girl.

"Hi Paige welcome back," greeted Emily warmly. Paige cocked her head to the side and stared down at her in confusion.

"Welcome back? I've never eaten here before. How do you know my name?" Emily's mouth almost dropped open at Paige's questions. How could she not remember ever eating here when she did just two days ago? Was this some kind of joke? Emily studied Paige's face intently for a few seconds, trying to determine if she was kidding or not. Paige looked genuinely confused. Deciding to spare herself and Paige anymore embarrassment Emily pushed her feelings of surprise and disappointment of being forgotten down.

"Sorry. You just reminded me of someone." The excuse was passible.

"No worries. I mix people up all the time. Although you do seem familiar." Paige gave her a lazy smile. Emily smiled back and led Paige over to a private booth. Paige picked up the menu and skimmed through it. Emily waited patiently for her to make her decision, and noticed a tattoo on her right arm on her bicep. Emily recognized it as the symbol for the Marine Corps. Could this girl have been a soldier?

"What do you suggest?"

Startled Emily glanced back up to look into Paige's deep brown eyes. "What?"

"What do you suggest?' Paige repeated patiently.

"Oh. The French toast is pretty good. So are the bagels," replied Emily feeling a vague sense of de ja vu.

"I'll take a plate of French toast and a coffee, black." Definitely de ja vu. Emily nodded and walked off to go place the order. She leaned against the counter and observed the other girl. She had pulled out a pen and was fiddling around with it. Emily frowned and thought back to how she didn't seem to recognize her at all.

"Uh oh. I see a frown. Trouble in paradise?"

"She didn't even recognize me Aria. She said she never ate here before."

"That's strange, because the same day you served her breakfast she came in later that day and ordered lunch. Even asked for you by name," Aria said grabbing her order and walking off to her table. How could this girl forget about her in the span of two days? Emily grabbed her order and walked back to Paige's table slowly. She heard her whispering to herself. Emily glanced over Paige's shoulder saw her talking quickly into the pen. It appeared to be a recording device of some kind. Emily placed the food down in front of her and she immediately turned the device off.

"Here you go. One plate of waffles and coffee," Emily said.

"Thanks." Paige picked up her coffee and took a long gulp.

"I don't mean to pry, but I couldn't help but notice your tattoo. Are you in the military?" asked Emily. Paige stiffened at Emily's question. She let out a deep sigh before answering.

"Not anymore. I was in the Marine Corps. Special Forces Diver second Lieutenant. Now I'm retired I guess," replied Paige. Emily glanced back down at the tattoo once more.

"That's impressive."

"It was." A sharp ding from the front counter called Emily back to her job. She walked off to go see to other tables. About twenty minutes later Emily returned to Paige's table to see if she needed anything else.

"I have a phone call for a Paige McCullers," shouted Zach from the front counter.

"That's me," said Paige motioning to herself. She stood up and walked to the counter, leaning over and talking lowly into the phone. Emily watched the whispered conversation briefly before turning her attention back to the table. Her eyes landed on the odd pen that Paige had been whispering into earlier. She picked it up and switched it on. She glanced over her back to see that Paige was still talking on the phone. Emily quickly left a simple hurried message on the device before turning it back off and placing back down where she found it. Emily turned quickly bumped into somebody causing her to stumble a bit. Hands found her waist and steadied her while Emily grasped strong shoulders. She looked up and met familiar dark brown eyes and a lazy smile.

"Sorry, I didn't see you there," apologized Emily, taking a step back.

"No harm no foul," said Paige shrugging it off. She paid her bill then left, giving Emily a friendly goodbye wave, which she returned. The rest of the day went by quickly. It was 5:07 and Emily's shift was ending soon. She was just finishing up making a coffee when two arms and a mass of blond hair plunked themselves down onto the counter followed by a long groan. Emily chuckled softly at the dramatics.

"Well hello to you to Hanna. Rough day?" asked Emily as she began wiping down the counter. She tapped her friend's head and Hanna lifted her head and leaned back.

"I hate my teacher Em. He is seriously out to ruin me because I called him out on his obvious mistake," Hanna complained.

"And let me guess, by correcting his mistake you mean you brazenly walked up to him and told him he was wrong with all the subtlety of a jackhammer?" assumed Emily. Hanna shrugged.

"Pretty much. Sean's been bugging me about transferring to the NYU with him, but I just don't feel like NYU is right for me," Hanna sighed.

"Then tell him forget it," reasoned Emily pulling her black apron off and hanging it up.

"I can't just say no. He'll be so disappointed, I need a good excuse or explanation for why I can't go," Hanna said.

"Hanna if he really loves you then he'll support you decision to stay here in Philly."

"Yeah I guess your right. With Caleb it was so much easier," whispered Hanna. Emily nervously tugged at her hair. Ever since Hanna and Caleb had broken up months ago, Hanna had never been the same. The war had changed Caleb in many ways. She rarely ever saw him anymore. Emily shook her head. Right now she couldn't dwell on past her friend's past relationship. She had to find a way to get some and fast so she could fix her car. She reached over and squeezed her friend's shoulder comfortingly.

"If you ever need anything Hanna." Emily left her offer hanging, knowing Hanna understood what she meant.

"Thanks Em. What about you? I came in here moaning about all my problems and didn't even ask about your day."

"It's okay. I was actually just leaving now. My shifts over and I was going to head out and see if I could sell some old stuff to make some extra cash to fix my car."

"If your looking to sell stuff you should head over to Jaime's shop. Its like a ten minute walk from here or something. He could take a look at what your selling and see if its worth something," offered Hanna following Emily outside.

Emily nodded. "Yeah I think I will. You want to come with?"

"No thanks. I have to get back to the loft and talk with Sean I'll see you later Em." Hanna waved as she walked off in the opposite direction to her car.

"Bye Han," called Emily. She then turned and walked briskly in the other direction. The air was muggy and thick from the humidity. By the time Emily reached the shop she was already covered in a light sheen of sweat. She wiped her brow and pushed the door open to Jaime's shop. It was slightly cooler in here but not by much Emily noted. She walked up to one of the glass display cases and leaned over. Her eyes landed on a metal bell. She tapped it lightly and a ring ran out through the shop. It was quiet for a few seconds before she heard the scuffle of footsteps.

"Hi how can I help," said a familiar voice. Emily turned and nearly choked when she saw Paige standing behind the counter.

"What are you doing here!?" asked Emily.

"I work here. You're the waitress from this morning with the pretty smile. Emily right?" Emily felt her heart flip when Paige described her smile as pretty.

"Yeah. I'm just here to sell something." Paige nodded and then motioned with her hand to show her. Emily pulled out a watch and handed it to her.

"It's an old authentic Italian piece, given to me awhile ago." Paige was silent as she observed the watched.

"I hate to tell you this, but it's a fake," said Paige.

"What no. That's impossible it can't be a fake. I really need this money." Emily's heart sunk. This was her last hope to get some cash to pay for her car. Damn it. Why did the universe have to hate her so much?

"I'm sorry, but it is a fake. I'll show you." Paige searched through the glass cases before she came back with a watch that looked identical to hers. "The clue that it's a fake it the weight. The fake is lighter than the real thing." Paige placed one watch in one of Emily's hands and the other in her opposite palm. "See. Feel the difference?" Emily nodded feeling the disappointment twist her insides. "The second and more significant thing is that the real thing would have a seal on the back of it to show that it was an authentic piece." Paige turned the watches over and showed Emily the seal. "The most I can give you for this is twenty bucks." Emily nodded and handed the watch over. It was better than nothing. Their hands brushed lightly and Emily shivered slightly from the unintentional contact. Paige paused and stared down at Emily's fingers that were tapping against the glass. Emily blushed. "Your ring. It appears to be an old Victorian model."

Emily twisted the ring on her left forefinger. It was three bands of silver intertwined into an intricate circular band, inlaid with three emeralds.

"It was given to me by my grandmother years ago," whispered Emily fondly remembering reserving the ring on her sweet sixteen.

"It looks to be in good shape. Can I see it?" Paige asked. Emily pulled the ring off and handed it over. Paige scrutinized the ring carefully. "There are a few scratches on it, but it's remarkably well preserved. Do you want to sell this?" Emily hesitated. That ring was very special to her. However she needed this money to pay for her rent and car.

"Fifty dollars and it's yours," offered Emily hoping that Paige would take the deal. Paige handed her the ring.

"I'm sorry, but I can't offer you that," murmured Paige thoughtfully as she walked over to the cash register.

"What? I thought you said this ring was valuable. Look I need this money, I'll go down to forty," begged Emily feeling herself grow overwhelmed with emotion at the thought of not getting any money at all. Paige returned and handed Emily a wad of cash and took the ring. Emily counted the cash and her eyes widened at the amount she found.

"350 dollars," exclaimed Emily.

"I couldn't in good conscience take you ring for just fifty dollars. I hope this is enough?"

Emily nodded fervently. "Yes this is great. Thank you." Paige just shrugged.

"No really thank you," said Emily smiling softly at Paige. Paige returned the smile and stared deeply back into Emily's eyes. Emily again felt her heart thrum unexpectedly under the other girl's intense gaze. She looked down breaking their intense stare.

"Thanks again for this," murmured Emily as she began to turn and walk away.

"Your welcome Emily." Butterflies took flight in her stomach as she heard her name roll off of Paige's perfect lips. Deep down Emily felt a longing to get to know this odd girl more.

"Do you want to get coffee sometime," Emily blurted out as she whipped around to ask Paige. The Marine's eyes widened at Emily's request and Emily felt like smacking herself for being to abrupt. They hardly even knew each other. What if Emily was overstepping her boundaries? What if Paige had girlfriend? What if she didn't even feel the connection that Emily felt every time they ran into each other? "I'm sorry that came out…I mean I didn't mean to just spring this on you…I just want to get to know you…wow this isn't really turning out how I wanted it to." It was quiet for a few moments. Then Paige burst out laughing. Emily flushed a deep red and stared down at the floor. Great, now she made a fool out of herself. "I knew I should have just left. You know what, forget I ever said anything." Emily walked towards the door still embarrassed about her outburst when a warm hand on her shoulder stopped her. She turned and saw Paige smiling gently at her.

"I'm sorry for laughing. That was rude. You just caught me off guard," explained Paige quickly. Emily quirked a brow up. "I'm not used to being in the company of such a beautiful woman."

"Smooth," Emily countered. Paige blushed.

"It's true. I normally just stick to myself. Its better that way," murmured Paige. Emily relaxed slightly under Paige's touch. Her hand was still on her arm and Emily was enjoying the warmth that came from the Marine's calloused palm. Paige noticed her hand was still placed on Emily's arm so she withdrew it before shoving both of her hands down into her pockets. "But the real truth is that I want to get to know you better to. So yeah a coffee would be nice." Emily grinned. She felt elated that Paige had said yes to their coffee get together. I guess that's what she could call it since it wasn't a date.

"What time do you want to meet up for coffee?" asked Emily ignoring the warring butterflies in her stomach.

"Anytime before eleven and after eight. Whatever works for you."

"How about nine."

"That works for me. Will we be having our coffee at The Brew?" Emily tried to keep the grimace off of her face when Paige suggested that. She already worked there full time and frankly didn't want to spend her free time there.

"Ahh unless you want to. I do know this other place that's just as nice that we could go to," said Emily. Paige cocked her head to the left like she usually did when she was contemplating things and Emily found the simple action cute.

"If you know another place then I'm up for going there."

"Great so I'll meet you outside The Brew at nine."

"Nine o clock sharp Emily…I don't believe I caught your last name."

"Fields. Emily Fields." Emily watched Paige silently repeat the name to herself.

"Emily Fields. Now that's a name I never want to forget," murmured Paige more to herself than to Emily. However Emily smiled inwardly at the comment.

"I should get going. Thanks again Paige." Emily waved to the Marine who returned it with a wave of her own. All the way home Emily couldn't hide her smile. Her good mood only increased when she finally paid the mechanic to fix her car. She waited 45 minutes in the shop before the mechanic handed her the keys to her car and Emily drove home. She finally had her beautiful Toyota back. She parked beside Spencer's Civic and walked upstairs to her apartment. She hardly even noticed Spencer when she got in, but Spencer definitely noticed her. And her good mood.

"Someone's happy," Spencer remarked, putting down her book as Emily fell backwards onto the couch.

"I got my car fixed," Emily replied simply. Should she tell Spencer about Paige? They were best friends and they never kept secrets from each other.

"It's more than that though," observed Spencer. Damn it. Emily forgot about Spencer's weird, intuitive Hastings senses.

"I'm just excited about meeting a friend for coffee tomorrow."

"Who? Do I know this person?" quizzed Spencer, leaning forward eagerly on her elbows to prod for more details.

"Calm down Spence. No you don't know this person." Emily chuckled softly when she saw Spencer's brows furrow in confusion. Then recognition dawned in her sharp brown eyes.

"You meeting a girl aren't you?"

"I don't have to answer that," murmured Emily shutting her eyes and pretending to doze off.

"You didn't need to. Your answer just gave you away," crowed Spencer triumphantly. She got up and hovered over her roommates face.

"Tell me about her," pushed Spencer as she tugged at loose strands of Emily's raven locks.

"There's not much to tell. I just met her recently. That's why we're going to coffee. To get to know each other better." Emily opened her eyes and stared back at Spencer.

"Is she good looking?"

"Beyond. She's sexy and hot and-".

"Okay I get it she's a looker," interrupted Spencer. Emily blushed and sat up.

"She's seems like a good person, but." Emily trailed off. She wasn't sure how to approach the topic of Paige forgetting all about her when she had served her two days before.

"But," Spencer pressed. Emily hesitated then decided to forget about it. Plenty of people forget things and other people all the time. No reason to make a mountain out of a mole hill.

"It's nothing," Emily murmured back. It had to be and it probably was. However Emily couldn't shake the feeling that Paige was hiding something serious beyond her easy smile. Something Emily couldn't get rid of no matter how hard she tried.

**Yeah chapter fou**r is **all done. I hope you all enjoy it. This chapter is twice as long as the third one and the chapters just seem to just keep getting longer. Thanks for all the review, favs, and alerts. They help keep me going and push me to finish the chapters. Next chapter I hope will be up within the week. Thanks again. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pretty Little Liars or any of its characters. However I do own my own characters. **

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed and faved the last chapter. Special shout out to go-sullivan for pointing out my grammatical errors. Thanks, I try to stay as grammatically correct as I can. I rushed through that last chapter and I don't think it was my best writing. Hopefully this chapter will be better. This one picks up right after Emily left the shop in the last chapter. I hope you enjoy. **

Paige watched the door swing shut. She continued to stare at it for the next several seconds, hardly believing her good luck at a gorgeous girl like Emily Fields wanting to spend time with her.

"Emily Fields," Paige chanted softly over and over again. "I will not forget Emily Fields. I can't forget Emily Fields." Paige strolled over to the counter and picked up the ring Emily had sold to her. It really was a nice ring. However she would have to buff out the scratches and polish it up a bit. She grabbed a small yellow envelope and dropped the ring inside of it. Grabbing a sharpie marker from beside the cash register, Paige wrote **Remember to give back to Emily Fields** on the front of it and then placed the envelope on a shelf, tucked away towards the back. The ring seemed important to her and when Paige had the money she would buy it off of Jaime and give it back to Emily. The rest of the day went pretty good for Paige. Caleb came in near the end of her shift to pick up his paycheck. He watched her bustle about, whistling happily to herself while finishing up her work.

"Your awfully happy today," observed Caleb. Paige stopped what she was doing and turned around to face Caleb fully.

"I'm meeting Emily tomorrow for coffee."

"Emily? Wait do you mean the hot waitress Emily that you met two days ago?" asked Caleb. Two days ago? She just met Emily today.

"No I just met Emily today when I went-".

"For breakfast at the Rear Window Brew and Café where Emily works as a waitress. You told me you met her two days ago," Caleb interrupted. A sick feeling of dread and embarrassment washed over Paige. She had forgotten Emily. Forgotten that she had already met that beautiful girl before. No wonder Emily knew her name and was confused when Paige didn't recognize her. And Paige had acted like the confused fool that she was, and convinced Emily that she didn't even now her. Paige had to resist the urge to slam her head repeatedly on the glass cases.

"Caleb she knows. She knows something is wrong with me. I don't even remember meeting her two days ago, but she did. What am I going to do?"

"Well first of all take a breath. Second if she thought something was seriously wrong with you, which there is, she wouldn't have invited you for coffee. And third you are going to take out that handy dandy recorder of yours and remind yourself that you have a date tomorrow." Paige took a deep breath to calm her self. Caleb was right. If Emily truly thought something was so terribly wrong with her she would have not asked her out.

"So about this date." Paige rolled her eyes.

"It's not a date Caleb. We're just meeting up for coffee. I don't even know anything about her," said Paige.

"How would you know? She could have told you her whole life story and you just forgot it the next day," countered Caleb.

"Did she?" inquired Paige.

"No Paige she didn't. I'm just messing with you." Caleb playfully leaned over and punched her in the arm. Paige smirked.

"Enough about Emily. Tell me about Hanna. How are you two doing?"

"Paige for the last time, Hanna and I broke up!" exclaimed Caleb.

"What you two broke up!? Why? When?" Caleb sighed.

"We broke up nine months ago. We grew apart." Paige's mind reeled with this new information.

"Caleb I'm so sorry," said Paige sincerely.

"Yeah so am I. So tell me about this Emily girl. Is she pretty?"

"Gorgeous. She has smooth tan skin and legs that go on for miles. Her eyes are a light shade of coffee brown and her hair is dark brown and wavy." Paige pictured Emily in her minds eye and smiled dreamily. God, when did she turn into such a sap?

"Tan skin, brown wavy hair," Caleb muttered to himself. "Wait is her last name Fields?"

"Yes," Paige replied confused. "Do you know her?" Caleb looked slightly uncomfortable. He fidgeted with his fingers and shifted his weight from his good leg to his prosthetic.

"Yeah I know her. She's one of Hanna's best friends. We met a few times and talked. She's a pretty nice girl."

"But," Paige pushed desperate for more information on this girl.

"The last I heard she was in a relationship with some girl named Maya." Paige felt a deep sense of disappointment settle low in her chest. So Emily was already taken. Makes sense. A beautiful girl like that couldn't stay single for too long. Besides what could Paige offer to Emily? A broken body and mind that would never fully be healed. The burns on Paige's back and legs began to itch.

"Paige, are you okay?" asked Caleb, sensing his friends mood change. Paige shook away the negative feelings.

"Yeah I'm fine. I got to go though. I'll see you later," replied Paige, punching her time card and leaving. She briskly walked to the bus stop and caught the evening bus just in time. Paige spent the ride home going over what she was going to say to Emily. Telling her she's the most beautiful girl in the world and that Paige felt that they had chemistry between them was out of the question. Now that she knows that Emily has a girlfriend she would have to control her thoughts and emotions around her better. No more blatant ogling. Or unintentional flirting. 'I'll have to make a note of that,' thought Paige. Couldn't forget about Emily's significant other. Besides gaining a new friend would be nice. The only one she had now was Caleb. It was better this way anyway. Emily deserved the best and Paige was far from it. The bus halted at her stop and Paige got off and walked to her apartment complex. As she neared the door a woman with dirty blond hair in her mid thirties was coming out of the building with a boy that looked around the age of ten or eleven. As she approached them she smiled politely to the two strangers.

"Hey Paige do you have my five dollars that you owe me?" asked the small boy, grinning up at her with a cheeky smile.

"Uh I'm sorry I don't know what you're talking about," said Paige. Did she know him? The boy opened his mouth to speak, but his mother grabbed his hand and pulled him away.

"Samuel how many times do I have to tell you not to trick people into giving you money? I'm sorry he doesn't always think before he speaks," apologized the woman.

"No worries Ma'am," assured Paige still confused. The woman turned and pulled her son out of the way and quietly chastised her him.

"You have to stop playing pranks on that poor woman Samuel. It's very rude. You know she can't remember you." Paige heard the comments and she felt her heart twist at the possibility of these people knowing her, but her not knowing anything about them. She walked into her apartment and threw her bag down and kicked off her shoes. She plugged in her microphone to her laptop and began downloading her day's recordings onto her computer. While her voice floated through her tiny apartment Paige grabbed a sheet of paper and began scribbling down a note about how she was supposed to meet Emily tomorrow at nine in front of The Brew for coffee. She wrote a brief description of what Emily looked like and that she had a girlfriend. As Paige's mind wandered to Emily and what she could be doing her voice replaced Paige's on the recording. Paige's head snapped up when she heard the change.

"_Uhh hey Paige. This is Emily Fields. I'm the waitress from The Brew….I'm not even sure why I'm doing this. I guess I just wanted you to remember me, and I guess that's a pretty stupid reason since you don't really even know me. I just uhhh..I never usually do this, but I guess I wanted to leave you a reminder to come back to The Brew. You still haven't tried the bagels yet."_

The recording stopped after that. Paige's heart soared at the fact that Emily wanted to see her again, but a small negative voice in the back of her head whispered that Emily already suspected something was wrong with her. If she were to ever find out the whole truth about her injuries she would leave just like everybody else did. Paige grabbed her recorder from her laptop and switched it on.

"Note to self. You know what screw that, this is more than just a note. Remember Emily Fields. No matter what happens you cannot forget Emily Fields. Whatever it takes, you remember her." Paige turned the recorder off and stood. She got ready for bed and tried to doze off, but she couldn't. She wouldn't. Falling asleep caused her to lose her memories because her mind couldn't retain any of the nerve stimuli that came with making memories. At least that's what the doctors said. If she stayed awake she wouldn't forget. She would remember Emily. So that's exactly what Paige did. She stayed awake all night. She tidied up her apartment, and fixed her bike. She organized her notes, and when she grew really desperate to stay awake she played solitaire against herself. She lost count how many cups of coffee she had. After awhile it felt like it was caffeine running through her body instead of blood. When 7:00 rolled around Paige watched the sun rise from her window. She was jittery from all the coffee and lack of sleep, but the image of Emily still hung fresh in her mind. To help energize her a bit, Paige went for her daily morning run. She smiled at everyone who ran past her and genuinely felt happy about recognizing most of the people from the day before. It was 7:45 when Paige strolled into her bathroom and caught a reflection of herself in the mirror. She grimaced. There were dark circles under her eyes and her face looked washed out. A shower was definitely in order. The warm water running over Paige's body helped to relax her muscles. She washed her hair and scrubbed her face, then climbed out and got dressed.

The one good thing that came out of Paige's sleepless night, besides not forgetting Emily, was that Paige had finally fixed her bike. Riding down the streets of Philly in the morning was quite a pleasant experience. The air was cool and not as humid. Since Paige still had ample time to reach The Brew she decided to just bike around. Paige loved to bike. Before going off to war Paige would participate in bike marathons all the time. It was something she was good at. Paige arrived at The Brew at 8:50. She chained her bike to a nearby tree and sat down on the curb to wait for Emily. This was the first time in a long time Paige would be going out with someone she didn't know before her injuries. To be honest Paige was nervous. She tapped her toe repeatedly to try to ease the tension she felt building up in her shoulders. She glanced down at her watch. It was 9:00 and no sign of Emily. 'She could just be running late,' Paige thought. 'Or she forgot.' Paige snorted at the irony of her statement, but deep down old insecurities began to rise up. What if Emily decided that Paige wasn't worth her time? What if she found out about her condition? What if? What if? What if? Paige's life was filled with too many what ifs. Paige was so caught up in her own doubts and fears that she failed to notice the silver Toyota pull up. Or that one Emily Fields stepped out from the vehicle to greet Paige.

"Paige?" The Marines head quickly snapped up at the sound of her name. Her eyes met Emily's. 'I know you. I remember you,' thought Paige. Her heart thrummed wildly in her chest with the recognition of this girl she barely knew.

"Emily Fields," Paige whispered almost reverently. Emily raised a slim brow in question at the tone of Paige's voice. 'Snap out of it Paige, your freaking the poor girl out.' Paige stood and offered a hand to Emily to shake.

"It's good to see you again. Sorry I was late," apologized Emily.

"It's no big deal. You're here now." And I recognize you Paige tacked on as an afterthought. She was sure she was smiling widely right now.

"So I know this other little coffee shop we could go, if you want to follow in your car or ride with me?" Emily offered.

"I rode my bike here so I guess I'm riding with you." Emily nodded and walked towards her car. Paige climbed into the passenger seat. The drive was filled with idle chitchat. How hot it had been, how the Philly's were doing, and how work was going. Normal conversation that helped break the ice between the two of them. When they arrived at the coffee shop Paige noticed how it was a small cozy place. She opened the door for Emily and she flashed her a grateful smile. Paige felt her stomach twist in an unfamiliar sensation. They sat down at a small table for two near the front. Emily ordered an Americano while Paige just ordered a black coffee. They both sipped their respective drinks in silence, both trying to come up with a new topic to converse about.

"So I guess it's true about a soldier and their coffee. They always take it black," observed Emily. Paige glanced up at Emily and smirked.

"It's how I've always had it."

"Really? That's how my dad drank it to. He was in the military."

"What branch was he in," asked Paige.

"The army. He works in Texas training new recruits," replied Emily. A look of pride came over Emily's face as she spoke about her father and mother. Paige learned that Emily was an only child. She grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania called Rosewood with her three best friends Spencer, Aria, and Hanna. One of her best friends, Alison, was mysteriously murdered when she was in high school. Emily went to Danby on a swimming scholarship and she was currently finishing up medical school so she could get her physical therapists license. Paige listened attentively to every detail Emily revealed about herself.

"So what about you Paige. You've listened to me for the last twenty minutes talk about myself, and I hardly know anything about you. Well besides the fact that you're in the Marine Corps," said Emily.

"Was," muttered Paige, her mind flashing back to the attack.

"What," asked Emily.

Paige coughed to clear her throat. "I was in the Marine Corps. Not anymore. I was discharged nine months ago," clarified Paige. Her burns were beginning to ache and the smell of sweat and discharged rifles wafted up into Paige's nose. 'No, no, no. I can't have an episode here in front of Emily,' thought Paige trying to calm her racing heart. Her chest heaved as she took deep breaths to try and maintain control. A soft, warm hand on her forearm pulled her out of her temporary panic. Emily was staring at her with a look of concern spread over her face.

"Paige are you okay?" asked Emily softly. She rubbed Paige's arm in a soothing motion, slowing Paige's heart rate and breathing. The Marine took another second to enjoy the other girl's hand resting on her arm before she leaned back in her chair to put some distance between the two of them. Emily frowned slightly at the loss of contact, but also leaned back in her chair. "Are you okay?" Emily asked again.

Paige took a deep breath before answering. "I'm fine. Sorry about that, it was nothing," answered Paige, offering Emily a strained smile. Emily doesn't press the issue even though she is still concerned.

"So where did you grow up?" Emily shifted the conversation away from Paige's panic attack and into safer waters, which Paige was grateful for.

"I was born in Louisiana near Baton Rouge. When I was twelve my dad died and I went to live with my stepdad in New York," said Paige.

"Where did you like living more?" Paige considered her answer for a moment before responding.

"I love Louisiana. The culture and people are so unique. The weather is always warm. My sister, brother, and I would go camping all the time. Then my dad died and my stepdad got custody of me. New York is a concrete jungle. It's cold, but unique," elaborated Paige. Emily nodded.

"I'm sorry about your dad," said Emily.

Paige shrugged. "Don't be. He wasn't that great of a dad," muttered Paige. She stared down into her empty cup and watched the small drops of leftover coffee gather at the bottom. Again Emily reached out and brushed her hand over Paige's. Paige shivered. Her gaze met Emily's. They stared for a few seconds before Emily broke it off. Paige internally slapped herself. Emily has a girlfriend already, there's no way they can start a relationship. Paige hated cheaters, and she wasn't going to be the unintentional cause of hardship in Emily's relationship. Besides Emily never even said she liked her. The attraction was probably one sided. Paige glanced down at her watch and saw that it was nearly 10:00.

"We should probably get going," suggested Paige standing up and reaching for her wallet to pay the bill.

"Yeah we should," agreed Emily laying down some money, but Paige waved her off. "Paige I can't have you pay for me."

"Yes you can. It's not that much to begin with. Besides I already have the money ready," said Paige. Emily opened her mouth to argue, but Paige drew her fingers across her lips, pretending to zipper them closed. "If this really bothers you so much then next time you can pay."

"Next time," Emily questioned with a playful smirk as they walked outside. Paige stopped abruptly in her tracks and opened her mouth to explain, but no words came out. Emily just laughed softly at her expression as she climbed into her car. "You coming?" Paige blushed a violent shade of red and proceeded to climb into the car. The drive back was spent listening to the radio while Paige tried to come up with a reasonable excuse to see Emily again. Emily parked outside The Brew and they both got out. They stopped by the front door and Paige nervously scratched the back of her neck.

"Look Emily about before, I didn't mean to be rash in assuming we would meet up again…although I wouldn't mind to it's just, what I mean to say is." Somewhere amidst all of Paige's word vomit Emily took pity on the nervous Marine and drew her fingers across her lips, mimicking Paige's action from earlier. Paige immediately shut up.

"I would like to do this again. How about Wednesday?" suggested Emily. Wednesday. Wednesday was the day after tomorrow. Could Paige stay awake for another two whole nights? Emily must have noticed her hesitation. "Does Wednesday not work for you? We can reschedule if you want."

"No! No Wednesday's fine. What time?"

"Same time same place?"

"Yeah sure that sounds great Emily." Emily smiled up at her before waving goodbye and heading inside The Brew. Paige offered her a strained smile in return. Damn it. Paige pulled out her recorder and saw that it was still recording. Good that meant her entire time with Emily was recorded. She switched it off and grabbed her bike before pedaling off down a side street.

MWMWMWMWMWMW

Paige sat patiently in the lobby of the Penn Presbyterian Medical Center waiting for her name to be called. After her coffee meeting with Emily this morning Paige had to head to the hospital to have a consult with Dr. Jefferson, head neurosurgeon at the Center. Paige lazily leafed through an outdated tabloid.

"Paige McCullers." Paige stood up at the sound of her name being called out amongst all the other waiting people and approached the front desk.

"That's me," said Paige. The woman at the desk motioned for her to follow as they walked down white hallways to a wooden door. The woman knocked twice then entered with Paige in tow.

"Dr. Jefferson your 12:00 consult is here." The good doctor stood and extended a hand to Paige while offering her an easy smile.

"Lieutenant McCullers it's an honor to meet you finally," greeted Dr. Jefferson warmly. Paige shook his hand then sat down on one of the chairs the doctor offered her.

"Thank you sir for agreeing to see me," said Paige. The doctor waved off her thanks and instead opened up a file on his desk and took out several x-rays.

"I've read over you file and reviewed your scans from nine months ago and I must say that the fact that you survived your injuries is a miracle." Paige gave a tightlipped smile. It was no miracle that she survived. Paige fought tooth and nail through her recovery and she was still fighting today. Fighting to remember things that is.

"Marines don't quit sir." The doctor nodded absentmindedly at her comment.

"I would like to take some new scans of your brain today if you don't mind and review them to see if there has been any change."

"Any change?" asked Paige.

"Initially the scans showed that your hippocampus, the part of the brain that consolidates short memories into long term more permanent memories, had been completely destroyed. It is located under the medial temporal lobe and the damaged tissue was removed to avoid unnecessary clotting of the blood vessels and scarring. This is why you can't make any new memories and you forget them once you wake up from sleeping. When the brain sleeps the hippocampus retains those memories and stores them away. Since you have lost your hippocampus you can't remember anything once you wake up. The memories simply disappear," explained the doctor indicating on the x-ray where there was a large dark spot where her hippocampus used to reside.

"Where do they disappear to?" wondered Paige.

"Memories are merely just nerve stimuli. When the nerve impulses have no where to go they simply resort to a different function." The doctor's impersonal answer grated on Paige's nerves. Of course he could talk about memories as nothing more than nerve signals and shit because he didn't have to live with a half functioning brain that couldn't remember anything. Her memories, her experiences were more than just a bunch of useless dead grey matter that refused to operate properly. Emily was more than just a nerve impulse.

"So then why the new scans?"

"I have meticulously gone over the reports and it appears that small fractured parts of your hippocampus were left behind. Tell me Paige how far back can you remember?"

"Right before the attack on my convoy," answered Paige immediately.

"Do you suffer from PTSD?"

"What?" Paige was caught off guard with that question. Did she tell him about the nightmares and episodes she had on a daily basis?

"It's just a standard question I have to ask to get a better idea of what I have left to work with," explained the neurosurgeon patiently.

"No," Paige lied. The doctor gave her a skeptical look.

"Lieutenant I can't help you unless you're completely honest with me."

Paige sighed. "Sometimes I have nightmares and I experience these phantom pains where I'm on fire right where my burns are," murmured Paige.

"I see. Have you seen a psychiatrist lately?"

"I don't need a shrink to poke around in what's left of my head," snapped Paige defensively. Doctor Jefferson held up his hands in surrender.

"I didn't mean anything by it. Just a standard question. However I do advise that you see someone. Now do you remember certain smells or tastes that you would usually forget?" asked the doctor scribbling down some notes on a scrap of paper.

"I can remember smells. That's about it," replied Paige, recalling how Emily smelled divine.

"That's good. It shows that some of you brain can remember things and retain information. What I want to do is take scans of the remnants of your hippocampus to see if I can salvage any of it. If I can then I might be able to reroute the nerve stimuli in your brain to your temporal lobe which will help you to recall and better retain present day memories," said doctor Jefferson.

"If I do this, then I will have to have surgery?"

"Surgeries Lieutenant. It is a tricky and delicate process rewiring the brain." Paige silently considered her options. Doctor Jefferson seemed to notice her hesitation. "If you need more time to think on it I will understand. This is a big decision." Paige wasn't much of a dweller. She was more of a woman of action. Do now and think later kind of person, which had gotten her into trouble in the past. However Paige was sick and tired of living her life the way she was now. Waking up and not knowing where she was or anybody, but Caleb and Jaime basically. Being constantly alone. If there was even a slim chance for Paige to get some kind of normalcy back in her life then sign her up.

"I don't need anymore time to decide. I've already wasted so much time on not knowing. Lets do it."

**And scene. Again thanks to everyone who is reading this story. I noticed that some of the reviewers mentioned how this story is like Remember Sunday. While I have drawn some inspiration from that movie and some of the plot points are pulled directly from the film I have also changed the direction and plot of the story from the film so that it is different. I love that movie and I will add a disclaimer that any plot points I take from the movie that anyone recognizes solely belong to the Hallmark Movie Channel. My plot and characters are going to be different though, but there will be similarities. I hope you have enjoyed this chapter and the next update will be soon I hope. And again thank you all so much for reading. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pretty Little Liars or any of its characters. However I do own my own characters. **

**Nothing to say…I just hope you enjoy.**

"You seem happy." Emily glanced over at her roommate who stood making a sandwich at the counter.

"Why wouldn't I be? I have the day off from work, no classes, and it's a beautiful day," said Emily walking around to the refrigerator and grabbing a bottle of water. She untwisted the cap and took a long sip.

"If you say so. You want something to eat?" offered Spencer politely.

Emily shook her head. "I'm good I just had something to eat when I was out."

"With Paige." Emily blushed at her friend's statement.

"Yes with Paige." Spencer smirked at her. Oh no. Emily could almost see the wheels in her roommate's head spinning.

"You seem to be spending a lot of time with her," observed Spencer sitting down. Emily sat down across from her and fiddled with the edge of her shirt.

"She's nice." Spencer's raised a brow as if to say 'Wow what a lame answer Em.'

"That's it. She's nice? You can't come up with any other ways to describe her even though you've been on like seven coffee dates together."

"First of all they're not dates Spence. And secondly we've only seen each other five times outside of work," said Emily. "Paige is just a friend."

"Do you want to be just friends with her Emily?" Emily blinked in surprise at Spencer's comment. She wasn't really sure what to say. This wasn't the first time Spencer's bluntness had caught her off guard. In her heart she wanted to ask Paige out on a real date. She felt that they had a connection, a chemistry she had never felt with anyone else before. However Paige seemed content with them just as friends. Anytime Emily tried to drop a hint or they seemed to be experiencing intimate moments Paige would clam up. Perhaps Paige wasn't attracted to her or maybe she had someone else. Either way Emily still wanted to be her friend.

Emily shrugged. "I know what I want, but I'm not sure what Paige wants." That was the most neutral answer she could come up with at the moment.

"Have you ever asked her?" Spencer pressed.

"No Spence I haven't. I just met her three weeks ago. I don't want to scare her off." Spencer shrugged and resumed eating her sandwich.

"All I'm saying is that you'll never know unless you try Em. One day someone's going snatch her up," said Spencer. Emily nodded to her friend then stood up and walked to her room. In all honesty what her roommate had just voiced was one of Emily's main concerns. The main reason Emily hadn't asked Paige out on a date was because she believed Paige was already taken. An incredible girl like her couldn't be single. Although deep down Emily hoped that she was. Those thoughts ate away at her for the rest of the day. Somehow in the span of three weeks one Paige McCullers was all Emily could think about. Subconsciously and consciously alike. Emily stared down at her phone and wondered if she should call her. Earlier this morning the two had traded phone numbers so they could talk. If she called now she may seem too desperate or worse clingy. If there was one thing Emily prided herself on it was being her own woman. She didn't need a relationship to define her. However whenever she talked to Paige she always felt at ease. Probably because Paige was just an easy person to talk to and be around. Emily pressed the call button and brought the phone up to her ear and waited. There was a click at the other end of the line and Paige's slightly husky voice answered.

"Paige hey it's me Emily."

"Emily? To what pleasure do I owe this phone call?" She heard Paige ask.

"I just wanted to talk to you. I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Emily replied suddenly remembering that Paige was probably at work.

"Nah I'm on break. I'm glad you called. It's been pretty slow in the shop today."

"Really, my days been pretty mundane as well." She heard Paige chuckle lightly on the other end, and Emily felt a warmth spread throughout her body at the sound.

"Mundane? Who uses words like that?" asked Paige.

"I do when you live with a roommate like mine," answered Emily, lying back on her bed. They chatted for another twenty minutes before Paige had to go because her break was ending.

"It was nice talking with you Em." Emily's heart fluttered when she heard Paige use her nickname. It sounded so right coming out of her mouth.

"You to Paige." There was a brief silence between the two of them.

"Would it be okay if I called you again?" Emily could hear the uncertainty in her voice.

"Yeah that would be great," Emily murmured softly back. Paige offered her one last goodbye before hanging up. Emily sighed and placed her phone down before standing up and walking out into the kitchen. It was 6:15 and Emily hadn't eaten anything since this morning when she had breakfast with Paige. As she walked past the TV she saw Hanna sitting on the one sofa idly flipping through the limited channels.

"Hanna? When did you get here?" asked Emily confused as to why her best friend was here.

"About ten minutes ago. Spencer was just walking out the door on the way to a class, and she told me you were here," answered Hanna looking up at Emily. "So who were you talking to on the phone?" Emily sat down next to Hanna on the couch and put her feet up on the coffee table.

"A friend," replied Emily simply.

"Is this the same friend you keep meeting for coffee every morning?"

"Maybe," Emily said annoying Hanna at her lack of details or straightforward answers. Hanna huffed and turned on the couch to sit cross-legged and face Emily.

"Emily you know I want details. So stop playing around and tell me about her," pushed Hanna poking Emily in the side. Emily swatted her offending hand away, but giggled lightly at Hanna's antics.

"Alright I'll tell you," Emily relented. She hadn't really told any of her friends about Paige. She wasn't sure why. Maybe she just liked the privacy of her and Paige's relationship. "She's amazing Hanna. She's interested in what I have to say and she is always so relaxed. It feels nice to be around her. I feel better when I talk to Paige." Hanna didn't say anything for a few seconds, which worried Emily. Usually Hanna didn't know when to stop talking or commenting on Emily's relationships. Or lack thereof.

"You really like her," deduced Hanna. Emily blushed and looked away. This only spurred Hanna on farther. "Oh my god! Emily Fields you are blushing. You do like her."

"Hanna it's not like that. We're just friends okay," reasoned Emily trying to control the burning she felt in her cheeks.

"Who are you trying to convince Emily? You or me?" laughed Hanna as Emily's cheeks reddened and her neck became flushed. Emily crossed her arms over her chest and turned away from Hanna. "Aww come on Em don't be like that. I'm sorry okay?" Emily smirked a bit then turned around and gave Hanna a slight playful shove.

"It's okay Han. I don't care." The two smiled at each other before turning their attention to the TV and watching it in silence. After a few minutes Emily turned to Hanna.

"So did you talk to Sean about New York?" Emily treaded carefully with her questioning. Lately anything that had to do with the blonde's boyfriend was off limits to discussion.

"Kind of. I said I didn't want to go and Sean kept pestering me for a reason and I told him that my friend's and life were here. Then he said I could make new friends in New York. Then I blew up at him and he walked out. We haven't really talked much after that." Hanna sighed and stared down at her fingers. "Do think I was wrong or too harsh on him?"

"Well he is your boyfriend, but he should have tried to work out a compromise of sorts. I think you both have something to apologize for." Hanna nodded thoughtfully at Emily's answer. Emily wished she could do more for her friend. Her relationship with Sean had been so rocky the last couple of months that Emily wasn't sure what was holding them together. Sure Sean was a good guy who cared about Hanna a lot, but lately it seemed like the two of them were like oil and water. Two completely different substances residing in a state of uneasy compliance, but working against each other. Kind of like how her and Maya had been near the end of their relationship. What was her and Paige's friendship like? They weren't fire and ice or un-compatible, but they were different. They were like two rivers coming to together and leading to the ocean. Actually the more Emily thought about it Paige was like the ocean and Emily was the river. Paige was strong, and calming, and reliable and somehow Emily always kept finding her way back to her. Like how a river finds its' way back to the ocean.

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Later that night when Emily's phone rang she was getting ready for bed. She picked it up and answered with a soft hello. Hearing Paige's voice on the other end of the line soothed Emily more then she though it would. Hearing Paige talk about her day was something Emily genuinely enjoyed doing and listening about. Thinking back to her conversations with Spencer and Hanna about how she liked Paige she blurted out something she wished she could take back. "I like you." There was silence on the other end of the line.

"I like you to," Paige murmured back hesitantly. Emily cursed her stupid mouth, but her heart leapt in her chest at Paige's confession. "More than I should." The last part of Paige's sentence perplexed Emily.

"What? Why?" Emily whispered back confused. She wasn't sure why she was speaking so quietly. Spencer was already asleep and even if she wasn't it's not like she could hear them. Perhaps it was because this moment was so delicate and fragile that anything above a whisper would shatter it for the two of them.

She heard Paige sigh deeply. "Because you have a girlfriend already, and I won't be the cause of any kind strain in your relationship." Now Emily was full blown lost. Where did Paige hear that she had a girlfriend? Emily had been single for months.

"Paige who told I have a girlfriend?" asked Emily.

"A friend of mine. He said you were dating a girl called Maya." At the sound of her ex's name Emily almost burst out into laughter, but she restrained herself. How ironic that even after being broken up for nearly seven months Maya still found a way into her life to make it even more complicated.

"Paige there is no one else. I'm not dating anyone. That girl, Maya, I broke up with her a long time ago," explained Emily, hoping she cleared up any misunderstandings between the two of them.

"Oh…really?" asked Paige for reassurance. Emily could hear the tentative excitement in her voice or maybe that was just her imagination.

"Really, really," said Emily. Emily heard Paige laugh nervously. They were silent for a few moments. Both relishing in silence that surrounded the two, and was only punctuated by the others breathing.

"Emily?" Paige murmured.

"Hmmm," Emily answered back softly.

"I…I really want to take you out. On a date sometime," stammered Paige. Emily smiled widely and her heart thrummed wildly in her chest at Paige's words.

"I would really like if you took me out on a date sometime to," whispered Emily back. Even though her heart was racing her mind was surprisingly calm. This step that they were taking was huge. But deep down Emily knew she would still have to wait on Paige to initiate a relationship. The time that she had spent with the battered Marine had shown her two things. One that Paige was a good person, and two that she was a broken person. There was a lot of pain and insecurity that she tried to keep hidden behind that easy smile of hers, but Emily could sense that Paige's problems were more serious that just being skin deep. Time is what she needed to heal and time is what Emily would give her.

"Really, really," Paige asked quietly seeking assurance in the fact that Emily wanted her.

"Really, really," whispered Emily strengthening the invisible connection between the two of them even more.

**Sorry that this was such a short chapter. It's more of a filler, but now I can finally start to approach their relationship. Hope you enjoy and thanks for all of the reviews and feedback. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pretty Little Liars or any of its characters. However I do own my own characters. **

**I would like to start out by saying how sorry I am about how short that last chapter was. I hit the dreaded writers block, which usually always happens to me when I start writing a new story. I'm not sure why. I am still fighting off the symptoms of writers block though so I'm not sure how good this chapter is. However this chapter is definitely longer than the previous one. So without further delay, on with the story. **

Paige sat sipping her morning coffee in remote silence while her eyes scanned over the x-rays of her brain, and she read through the thick manila folder that had 'Read Me Every Day,' written across the front of it. Now Paige was no neurosurgeon by any means, but even she could tell that the large dark spots on the slides indicating the severe damage done to her brain were pretty bad. There were small, concise notes scribbled on the bottoms of the slides that explained what was wrong with her. Words like 'decimated hippocampus', 'acute short term memory loss', and 'severe lobe reconstruction' stuck out like a sore thumb to Paige. She didn't recognize the terms, but a strange sense of hopelessness welled up within her whenever she read or heard them. Paige sighed and rubbed her temples. She skimmed through the rest of the papers, which gave a detailed account of who she was and where she was living and what she was to do everyday. Finally finishing all the reading she tossed the folder on the table and leaned back in her chair, rubbing her thumb over one of her dog tags. A sheet of loose-leaf notebook paper fell to the floor pulling Paige's attention away from her tags and to the paper. She absentmindedly picked it up and scanned over it. Her eyes, widened with each line that she read, in what she realized was her messy handwriting. The name Emily Fields was written at the top and beneath was a brief description of her, where she worked, and what her phone number was. There was a note written at the bottom to open the audio files labeled EF and to listen to them while she got ready. So Paige did just that. As soon as Emily's voice filtered through the speakers hooked up to her laptop Paige was enchanted. The spell that was Emily's voice enthralled her and Paige sat and listened to the conversations that they had. In the span of one morning Paige had learned three things. One she lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Two she had suffered a traumatic brain injury that left her with acute short term memory. And three her feelings for one unknown Emily Fields were growing stronger each day.

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Paige hummed softly under her breath as she rewired the transmission for an old Harley Goldwing that had been brought into the shop a couple days ago for restoration by an older man who didn't know the first thing about fixing up old bikes. While Paige on the other hand knew quite a bit about motorcycles because she owned one before her injury. She had stopped riding it due to her brain injuries and the fear that if she got into accident she might die or worse become a vegetable from more brain injuries. The doctors that she had seen and spoken with all made it explicitly clear that Paige had to be careful from now. Her brain injuries weren't the only ones that she had to worry about. Paige had also suffered from grievous third degree burn wounds that covered her back and legs. There had been significant tissue and muscle damage done to her shoulders and arms caused from the concussive blast from the IED she had been too close to when it went off. It took several lengthy surgeries and months and of rehab to even begin reconstructing her body back to normal. Although it was never fully healed. Her shoulders were all but held together by steel wires and plates screwed into her broken bones, while her arms were bolted together by steel bars to help reinforce the damaged muscles and bone. All in all Paige was a mess. Caleb would often call her Frankenstein in a teasing manner, and Paige would shoot right back and call him Stumpy or Peg-leg Rivers. Only the two of them could call each other those names without sounding rude or insulting because they were both healing from traumatic injuries caused from the same attack. Paige wasn't sure where she would be if she didn't have Caleb in her life as her best friend. Even if he could be a pain in the ass sometimes.

"Lunch has arrived," announced Caleb breaking Paige out of her concentration and causing her to twist her fingers in pain as they got stuck in the engine from her jerking in surprise at Caleb's unannounced entry. She cursed and pried her fingers from the cramped space and wiggled them slowly to see if they were okay.

"Shit Caleb you could have said something to say you were here instead of sneaking up on me," grumbled Paige sitting down next to her fellow Marine. Caleb rolled his eyes at her.

"I did say something. Lunch has arrived if I remember correctly. You should pay more attention to your surroundings McCullers," said Caleb handing her a white paper bag. Paige glared at him, but gave him a nod of thanks for getting her lunch. The two sat and ate in silence for a few minutes. "So what had you thinking so deeply before? Was it a certain waitress by the name of Emily Fields?" Paige's neck flushed red at Caleb's assumption even if it wasn't true.

"I was concentrating on work. Clearly something you don't do enough of," retorted Paige, trying to steer the conversation away from the girl Paige couldn't remember, but had obviously spent so much time with.

Caleb leaned back in his chair and dramatically clutched at his chest. "You wound me Paige with your harsh words. How will I ever recover?" Paige chuckled lightly at her friend's antics and threw a wadded up napkin at his head.

"Drama Queen." Caleb grinned at her.

"Seriously though, how are things going with her? You've been meeting her coffee for weeks now," Caleb pointed out.

Paige sighed. "To be totally honest Caleb, I don't know. I wake up every morning and listen to conversations we've had that I have recorded, but I don't remember having them. I don't remember her Caleb. I can't remember what she looks like, or what she wears, I can't even remember her name," Paige trailed off staring down at her hands.

"But? I hear a, but coming on," said Caleb.

"But," Paige continued. "Every time I do hear her voice I feel better. I feel this warmth come over me from just hearing her speak even though I don't remember her or what she's talking about. She feels familiar to me Caleb. She feels good."

"Okay so what are you going to do?" he asked.

"I'm going to ask her out." Caleb choked on his drink at her bold statement.

"Are you serious? Do think that's a good idea considering your condition?"

"I've already wasted nine months of my life because of this condition. I don't want to miss out on having something special with Emily. We have a real connection," argued Paige back.

"Regardless or not of your connection, are you ready to air out all your dirty secrets to Emily?" retorted Caleb. Paige just scowled at him and moved to get up. Caleb sighed in frustration and grabbed her hand before she could walk off. She stopped. "Look Paige if anyone deserves happiness and a normal life it's you alright. That being said I know Emily and she's a great girl who deserves a happy and normal life also."

"Your point," Paige said gruffly.

"She won't have one if she's with you. So far from what you've told me you've pretended like there's nothing wrong. You act like you recognize her when you don't and you string her along in believing you're perfectly fine when you're not. One day she's going to find out the extent of your injuries. That you forget her. If you are going to get serious with Emily at least tell her what's wrong with you," advised Caleb. Paige was silent. She had nothing to say because she knew, deep down that Caleb was right. Everything he said was true.

"I can't live my life like this anymore Caleb. I need to take a chance," whispered Paige. Caleb only nodded.

When Paige finally clocked out and left the shop she headed straight for The Brew to look for Emily. She pushed open the door and searched the café for her.

"Hey Paige looking for Emily?" Startled by the question Paige looked down to see a small petit girl wearing a black apron. She smiled up at her kindly and Paige gave a quick smile in return. She tried to place a name to the face, but she couldn't. She squinted down to look at the girl's nametag and saw that her name was Aria.

"Uhh yeah…Aria I was looking for Emily. Is she here?" asked Paige.

"Yeah she's in the back. I'll tell her you're here," offered Aria.

"That would be great. Thanks," said Paige. Aria walked off and disappeared between to swinging doors that led to what Paige guessed was the kitchen. Moments later Emily appeared and scanned the room. When her eyes landed on Paige she grinned and began walking over. Paige took that time to admire Emily's flawless form. Her dark brunette locks were tied back in a smooth ponytail while a few strands were escaping to frame her beautiful face. Her eyes met the warm coffee brown of Emily's as she stopped in front of her and Paige glanced down shyly. Bad idea. Her eyes landed on Emily's soft pink lips, and Paige immediately felt her stomach drop at the sight of Emily's tongue darting out and wetting her lips. She glanced away and took a deep breath to steady her racing heart.

"Hey Paige," greeted Emily warmly. "What brings you here?"

"I wanted to see you," admitted Paige. "If your not busy."

"My shift ends in 20 minutes if you want to wait," offered Emily. Paige nodded and took a seat at one of the tables while Emily offered to get her a coffee on the house. Paige accepted and now sat sipping her coffee and watching Emily work, taking the time to shamelessly check out Emily. She was kind and polite to everyone she waited on, and was patient with their demands. At certain times Emily would catch her staring at her, and Paige, quit flustered at being caught, would stare down at her coffee for a few seconds before risking a glance back up at Emily to find her either working or staring back at her. Emily would send her small winks or smiles to let her know she didn't mind Paige's staring. Paige had just finished her cup when Emily walked up and announced she was done with work. They both left and walked quietly down the street in comfortable silence. Every now and then Paige's hand would brush against Emily's and her skin would tingle from the contact. It was then that Paige recalled her conversation with Caleb from earlier. Emily felt good. Her presence was soothing and made Paige feel warm. She was just too good to pass up.

Paige stopped abruptly on the sidewalk and turned to face Emily who was looking at her curiously. Paige gulped and took a deep steadying breath. It's time to be brave and allow herself some happiness in life. No more living in uncertainty or worry. Staying true to her blunt nature and military nature, Paige finally took a chance.

"Emily Fields it would be my deepest my honor if you let me take you out on a date." Silence. Emily's wide brown eyes were staring back at her in surprise. The silence continued to stretch on and become awkward. Paige felt her heart twisting in disappointment at Emily's obvious rejection. Maybe she was too bold? Or spontaneous? Who was she kidding? Emily was way out of her league and would never go on a date with someone like her. Paige had gotten her hopes up for nothing.

"I would really like that Paige." And at hearing that simple answer Paige's heart soared and she had to stop herself from jumping up and down while shouting in excitement that she, Paige McCullers, got to take Emily Fields out on a date. However she couldn't resist fist pumping once much to Emily's amusement.

"Really you would?" Paige asked just for reassurance that she heard Emily correctly.

Emily laughed. "Yes Paige, I am absolutely sure that I would like to go out on a date with you," assured the brunette as she touched the Marine's arm briefly to steady her. Paige grinned.

"Then I'll pick you up. Tomorrow at 7," said Paige.

"7 it is. Here's my address." Emily wrote down her address on a scrap a paper and pressed it into Paige's waiting hand.

"Thanks." Emily nodded and the two of them stood quietly for a few moments, both trying to grasp what just happened. A brief rumble of thunder interrupted them warning them of the impending storm that was to come. Raindrops began to fall around the pair and people rushed past to find shelter from the rain.

"We should probably go before the storm picks up. Do you need a ride home?" asked Emily politely as they stopped by her car.

Paige shook her head. "I'm good. I'll see you tomorrow Emily." Emily smiled and waved before driving off down the road. Paige watched her car disappear around a corner before the blaring horn of another snapped her back to reality. The rain was really starting to come down hard and Paige was getting near soaked. Another honk of a horn this time accompanied by a shout.

"Hey Paige hop in." Paige turned and saw Caleb leaning out the driver's side window of his truck, motioning for her to get in. Paige climbed inside and immediately cranked up the heat, shaking her head free of any residual water.

"What were you doing out in the rain just standing there?" inquired Caleb starting the drive to her apartment.

"I was with Emily," answered Paige staring out the window as she wondered whether or not she should tell Caleb about asking Emily out on a date. Caleb nodded and they both fell into silence. They arrived at the apartment complex, but neither of them made a move to get out.

"Paige," started Caleb.

"Hmmm," Paige hummed back.

"I'm sorry," Caleb apologized softly.

"For what," murmured Paige already knowing the answer?

"For this morning. I shouldn't have said the things that I said. You deserve to be happy, and if Emily makes you feel good then I need to respect your decision." Paige glanced over at Caleb and saw the sincerity in his eyes.

"I understand you concerns I really do, and I appreciate the apology. These feelings when I see her every morning don't go away. Even if I don't recognize her I still feel so strongly about her," said Paige staring out at the pouring rain.

"The heart never forgets," mused Caleb. Paige nodded in agreement.

"I asked her out. We have a date tomorrow at 7. Our first official one," revealed Paige staring at Caleb and trying to gauge his reaction. He smiled.

"I'm happy for you." He patted her shoulder and she offered him a small smile in return. "So since you won't be home tomorrow I guess you wouldn't mind if I came over and watched the game at your place."

"Why can't you watch it at yours?" asked Paige eyeing her best friend.

"My TV's broken. Besides unless you plan on bringing Emily back for dessert," at the mention of dessert Caleb wiggled his eyebrows suggestively "then there really should be no problem. I'll be gone before you get back." Paige flushed at the thought of Emily and dessert in the way Caleb had insinuated.

"Fine you can watch the game, but you had better be gone when I come back got it?"

"Yeah, yeah no problem. Thanks Paige," said Caleb. Paige waved off his thanks and climbed out of the truck and ran to the door of the apartment complex. She was soaked and in desperate need of a warm shower. She walked into her apartment and immediately grabbed her laptop. She wrote a note on her agenda that she had a date with Emily Fields tomorrow at 7. She left an audio recording to just to have double the reminder. There was no way she was going to forget about this. Paige then proceeded to shower and get ready for bed. As she lay in bed listening to the sound of the storm rage outside she couldn't help, but feel warm and happy inside. For the first time in a long time Paige was going on a date with the most beautiful girl in the world. Or at least the most beautiful girl in Paige's world. As she drifted off to sleep Paige failed notice her laptop shut off and reboot from a power surge caused by the lightning from the storm hitting a power line and shorting out the power. If she had she would have seen that all the files on her computer had been wiped out. All of her reminders and notes were gone in a split second and Paige was none the wiser as she dreamed of one Emily Fields.

**Thus marks the ending of another chapter. Hope you enjoyed it. Even though this is a Paily story would anyone be interested in a small side of Haleb. Should Hanna and Caleb make up or should Hanna go to New York with Sean? Reviews and criticism is always welcome. It keeps me on my toes. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pretty Little Liars or any of the characters except my own. **

**Thank you everyone for all the reviews. Majority if not all of you wanted some Haleb in this story so here is how this is going to work out. Since this is a Paily centered story I have decided to devote 3 or 4 chapters to just Haleb. Think of it as a side story. These chapters will be specifically designated and labeled as the Haleb chapters so you will know when you are reading the main Paily story and when you are reading the Haleb mini story.**

Emily sat tapping her pen against her temple as she stared down at her final exam for the medical courses she had taken. She was about three quarters the way through it. Her eyes kept glancing back at the clock to check the time. It was 5:25. The class and testing period would be over at 6:00, giving her just enough time to get home and get ready for her date with Paige tonight. She jotted down some more answers then turned to the last page of her exam. It was a thesis essay question that pertained to the most successful ways to rehabilitate people with missing limbs and severe muscle traumas. Emily started formulating her answer as the information she had learned from her years of schooling flowed from her brain onto the paper from her pen. She wrote page after page while carefully double-checking her work. She finished just before 6:00 and quickly scanned through her exam to check for any missed answers. Satisfied that she had completed the test, Emily gathered her things and handed her exam over to the proctor before leaving.

The air outside was warm with a hint of humidity. The sun was overcast with thin layering of gray clouds leftover from the storm that occurred last night. Emily remembered waking up to the sounds of loud thunderclaps and Spencer's cursing at the power outage. Once Emily had assured her friend that they were okay and the power would most likely be on in the morning she had went back to bed. However the unpleasant weather seemed to have affected her dreams that night. She dreamt she was in a desert surrounded by burning vehicles and Humvees with the sound of gunfire and grenades going off all around her. Dead men lay everywhere. Some weren't dead though. Some were alive and screaming from the limbs they were missing or the bullets that were lodged in their broken bodies. Blood stained the sand red and the smell of burning flesh and metal was enough to make Emily dry heave violently. Her first thought in this warped nightmare was that she was dreaming about her dad again. When she was younger she used to have dreams like this all time, imagining the worst and fearing for her dad her served in active duty for the army. However the hoarse shouts of a familiar voice that didn't belong to her father drew Emily's attention away from the carnage and over to a soldier who was firing from behind a still operational Humvee. It was hard to make out who the person was with all the dirt and grime caked on their face, and the helmet on their head. Emily stumbled closer when all of a sudden the Humvee exploded and the soldier flew backwards with the burning Humvee wreckage landing on top of the prone figure. Immediately fire began to slowly travel up the body of the trapped soldier, causing the poor soul to writhe and curse in agony. It wasn't until brown eyes met brown that Emily realized it was Paige caught under the wreckage. It was Paige who was slowly burning to death. Emily woke up in a cold sweat, shaking after that.

And as she sat in her car waiting for the light to change from red to green she tried to make sense of the nightmare. She knew that Paige had been in the military prior to her moving to Philly, and Emily suspected she had been in an accident from the times she had caught glimpses of burned skin on Paige's arms and shoulders. Could what Emily had dreamt happened to Paige. Emily shook her head at the absurdity of that thought. She was no psychic or mystic. It was just a nightmare. Pushing the disturbing dream back she instead focused on her date tonight. She had been excited all day. Her mind swirled with thoughts about Paige and their first official date. She parked her car next to Spencer's Civic and Hanna's Sentra. Trying to imagine why Hanna was here Emily climbed out of her car and made her way upstairs to her and Spencer's loft. She dropped her keys on the counter and hung up her purse and jacket.

"Spence I'm home," Emily called out. The sound of rapidly approaching feet answered her. Emily turned and was immediately assaulted by head of blonde hair and the smell of Chanal.

"Oh Emily I am so happy for you. Going out on a date tonight with Paige," squealed Hanna still constricting Emily in her hug.

"Thanks Hanna, but I'll never get there if I die from suffocation," grunted Emily trying to extract herself.

"Sorry," said Hanna, dropping her arms and taking a step away.

"Is that why you're here?" asked Emily walking to her room.

"Mostly. Spencer wanted a girl's night with Aria and I. I decided to come earlier to help you get ready." Emily laughed at her friend's eagerness and started pulling off her clothes to get ready for a shower, while Hanna rooted around in her closet looking for the perfect outfit. She let out a gasp and pulled out a stunning deep purple dress that Emily had yet to wear. "This, this is perfect. When did you get this?"

Emily shrugged. "Before Maya and I broke up. I was going to wear it for a special date we were going to have, but well you know it," Emily trailed off not wanting to talk about her ex. The truth was ever since Emily had started spending time with Paige she had forgotten about Maya completely. Paige had a way of capturing all of Emily's attention.

"You have to wear this tonight. It will knock Paige's socks off. She won't be able to keep her hands off of you," Hanna gushed laying the formfitting dress against Emily to see how it would look. Emily blushed at Hanna's comment and thought of Paige's warm hands on her body and their lips pressed together in a heated embrace. It was nothing new for Emily to daydream about kissing Paige. She was attractive, and Emily was attracted to her. However Emily knew that dress, no matter how stunning she looked in it, would not be practical for tonight.

"Hanna I can't wear that dress," said Emily.

Hanna frowned. "What? Why?"

"Because I'm meeting Paige at the park for our date," reasoned Emily. "Showing up in a dress would be weird and over dressed." Hanna huffed and put the dress back. Emily ignored her friend and went to take a shower. Halfway through Hanna barged in and demanded to know what kind of body wash she using. Emily shouted for Hanna to leave and Spencer came in to see what all of the fuss was about. Finally after a heated discussion about shampoos and Spencer having drag Hanna out of the bathroom, Emily stepped out of the shower and toweled off her hair before wrapping herself up and heading to her room. She got dressed in a nice pair of form fitting jeans, a red blouse, grey flats. She lightly applied some makeup then walked out into the living room to say goodbye to her friends. Aria was sitting on the couch next to Spencer while Hanna paced impatiently.

"Well. How do I look?" asked Emily. Hanna rushed up and inspected her thoroughly while Spencer gave two thumbs up to show her approval.

"You look amazing Em," complimented Aria. Emily smiled her thanks then turned back to Hanna.

"Well Hanna?" She was silent for a few brief moments before her face broke out into a big grin.

"Well it's not the Perfect Purple Paily Dress, but you still look beautiful." Emily raised a brow in question.

"The what," Spencer asked.

"The Perfect Purple Paily Dress. It's this stunning purple dress that Emily bought for she who must not be named, but it obviously was meant for Paige's viewing pleasure," explained Hanna. "I'll show it to you once Emily leaves."

"What is Paily?" Aria asked. Hanna rolled her eyes.

"You seriously don't know what Paily is?" Three blank stares were the answer to Hanna's question. "Paily it is Emily and Paige's names combined. The first three letters in Paige's name P-A-I, and then the last two in Emily's name, L and Y. Paily"

"Do you give couple names to everyone?"

"Sure. Aria and Ezra is Ezria, and Spencer and Toby is obviously Spoby," said Hanna.

"I'm not entirely sold on the couple name Spoby," muttered Spencer.

"Well while this has been a stimulatingly conversation about couple names I really have to go," said Emily walking towards the door. She grabbed her purse and keys before waving one last time to her best friends.

"Bye Emily have a nice time," Aria said.

"Yeah. Don't do anything Hanna wouldn't do," joked Spencer.

"Hey!" Emily chuckled and shut the door to her friends playful bantering. She walked down to lobby and then to her car. The drive to park was quick since Emily lived pretty close to it. She pulled into an empty parking space and turned off her car. It was 6:55. She was five minutes early. No matter the extra time would help give Emily time to calm her nerves. She wasn't sure why she was so nervous? Paige was always so easy to be around. So calm and understanding that Emily always felt safe around her. At ease. She had never felt this way with anyone else. Her first girl crush had been her now deceased friend Alison DiLaurentis. Emily had started crushing on her in high school, but Alison never returned the feelings. Instead she manipulated Emily and teased her mercilessly about being gay. Suffice it to say Emily was back in the closet and dating boys not soon after. Her relationship with Ben had been a rocky one. She only dated him so Alison would stop harassing her about her sexuality, while Ben only stayed around to try and get into her pants. Suffice it say their relationship ended when Alison died. Emily was heartbroken after that, but also sort of relieved. Now no one knew her dirty little secret. She eventually did come out in her junior year. She just never really dated much in high school. She instead focused on her swimming and academics. She received a scholarship to Danby and that's where she met Maya. Just like Paige, Maya was two years older than her and quite breathtaking. She was not in college, but instead living with a friend of hers and working at a music store. Maya opened her eyes to a possible first serious relationship. She put Emily at ease with her sexuality. She was sweet and funny and forbidden. When Emily first brought Maya home to meet her parents her mother was less then impressed. She openly disapproved of their relationship and told Emily that Maya was a bad influence on her. Suffice it to say Emily refused to listen and instead fell head over heels in love with the bad girl. She gave up her virginity to Maya on night after they were both drunk from a frat party. After that their relationship started to take a sour turn. Emily discovered to drugs, the pot Maya would smoke, and all the parties she went to had Emily concerned that her wild girl behavior would get her into to trouble. Maya began to drift away from Emily. She would leave for days or weeks at a time and refuse to answer any of Emily's frantic texts or phone calls. They would fight and Maya would pull further and further away. Blatantly flirting with other people, skipping out on her, and finally cheating. Emily had been heartbroken. Breaking up with Maya had been one of the hardest things she had ever done, but it was for the best. Now she had Paige and with Paige she felt special and appreciated.

Emily glanced down at her dashboard clock and frowned. It was 7:10 and there was still no sign of Paige. Emily decided not to worry about it. Paige could just be running late. She sat back and turned on her radio to occupy herself. She hummed along to several songs before glancing back down at the clock. It was now 7:23. Emily felt her heart sink. Either Paige had completely forgotten or she was just blowing her off. Both thoughts hurt. Emily shook her head. No! This was Paige. She wouldn't do this. She wasn't this callous. She was sweet, reliant Paige. Maybe something serious came up. Emily thumbed through her contacts looking for Paige's number. Pressing the green call button she lifted the phone to her ear and waited. All she got was Paige's voicemail. She left a short message then waited another five minutes before calling again and getting the same result. She sent out a text in hopes of at least a response. Nothing. It was now 7:40, and Emily felt heart ache in hurt at how Paige had stood her up and was now ignoring her. It was just like how Maya used to act. Maybe she was wrong, maybe Paige was just as inconsiderate as Maya. Emily felt her throat constrict and her eyes well up from unshed tears. She furiously rubbed at her eyes. She would not cry for Paige McCullers. That goddam jerk didn't deserve her tears. She dialed Spencer's number to give her heads up that she was coming home. The phone rang twice before Spencer answered sounding concerned.

"Hey Em. Is everything okay?" She swallowed back her disappointment before answering.

"No. I'm coming back," was her simple answer.

"Coming back? Why? I though you were on a date with Paige," Spencer said sounding confused.

"She never showed up," mumbled Emily rubbing her head. Her heart twisted painfully at the reality of her situation.

"What do you mean she never showed up?" Spencer asked sharply.

"I mean She Never Showed Up Spence. She blew me off okay," snapped Emily, immediately feeling bad at taking her mood out on Spencer. "Look I'm sorry Spence for snapping. I didn't mean it. Can we just talk it over when I get home."

"Sure thing Em. We'll all be here waiting for you okay?" Emily smiled glumly feeling grateful that she had such great friends she could rely on.

"Thanks Spence I'll talk to you soon," said Emily hanging up. She turned off her phone and tossed it into her purse, and sat staring out the window silently. The sun was beginning to set on the horizon casting beautiful soft glows of pink and orange that swirled together in perfect harmony. Such a beautiful sight didn't feel right in Emily's saddened state. With a soft sigh she turned on her car and drove slowly back to the apartment. She pulled up at about 7:55. She climbed to stairs sluggishly to the loft. She was emotionally drained.

'All thanks to Paige Frickin McCullers,' thought Emily sullenly as she rounded the corner and stopped dead in her tracks to see Paige standing in her doorway squaring off against Spencer.

"Emily I didn't mean to forget about our date really. See I brought these to make it up to you somewhat even though this can't even begin cover how sorry I am," rambled Paige holding out a handful of sunflowers and daisy's to Spencer. What the hell is going on here? Even Spencer looked confused.

"I'm not Emily," she said narrowing her eyes at Paige.

"You're…you're not?" mumbled Paige looking lost.

"No…I am," said Emily from behind Paige. Paige whipped around to face her. Her worried brown eyes widened. Emily crossed her arms and raised a brow.

"I uhh I knew that. Of course you're Emily. I umm was just uh practicing. Yes that's it I was practicing on um her so I w-would be ready for you," stammered Paige ducking her head in embarrassment and thrusting the flowers out towards her. Emily tilted her head to the side and felt her heart warm at the sight of an obviously nervous and fumbly Paige. But then she remembered how Paige stood her up, and she pushed past her and into her apartment. "Emily wait." Paige's free shot out and caught hers to stop her from going inside.

"I already did wait Paige. You stood me up," said Emily trying to break away from Paige's strong grasp.

"No Emily! I didn't blow you off. Honest. I just forgot about it. I am so sorry that I did though. Time just got away from me. When I checked my phone I noticed your calls and I tried to call you back, but you didn't pick up so I came here to try to explain. I am so sorry about forgetting our date. I truly am, but you have to believe when I say that I would never blow you off. I would understand if you didn't want to see me again. I'll go now, but know that I am really truly sorry for forgetting." Paige dropped her hand and gave her the flowers before shoving her hands into her pockets and trudging away with her head down. Emily watched her go. She didn't look put-off or cocky like someone would if they stood someone up. Instead Paige looked disappointed in herself and sad. She reminded Emily of a whipped dog.

She heard Spencer huff in annoyance from behind. "Can you believe the nerve of her showing up here after what she did?" Emily didn't respond. Instead she took off down the hallway and bolted down the stairs, ignoring her friend's calls. She ran out of the lobby and out onto the street looking around desperately for the Marine. She spotted her across street.

"Paige," she called out running to her. Paige turned around quickly at the sound of her name being called. "Wait."

"Emily I don't-."

"Shut up for two seconds okay. I believe you. I don't entirely get it, but I believe. You're too kind and caring of person to do something as cold as that. And I do want to see you again. I don't want to say goodbye to you because I like you too much to let this end before it even begins," explained Emily after she interrupted Paige. Neither of them said anything. Finally Paige spoke.

"Am I forgiven?" she asked meekly.

"Let's see where the night takes us. Walk with me?" Emily held out her hand and Paige eagerly grabbed a hold of it before they both turned and strolled down the quiet street, content just being in each other's presence.

**I hope you liked it. The next chapter will be up soonish. **


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